Frontier Justice: Examining Representations of Modern Rural Policing on Television

Abstract

For much of the twentieth century, crime in rural areas was considered to be similar to urban crime; in turn, police operations in rural jurisdictions followed urban policing policy. In recent years, contemporary rural crime and policing have received more attention in the empirical literature, with broad conclusions leaning toward differentiation of social problems and crime among rural communities, and the social entrenchment of officers into the rural communities they serve. While general knowledge of rural crime and policing has increased, a broader understanding is necessary in light of the relatively informal and isolated nature of rural policing. Thus, not surprisingly, much of the public’s knowledge of rural policing comes from the media. Rural crime policy initiatives and the resultant issues/problems that impact the policing of rural crime have received increased attention in television show productions in recent years. The present paper presents an exploratory content analysis of contemporary “cop-dramas” set in rural locations. The conclusion is that these productions do not adequately represent the reality of contemporary rural policing; in turn, officers working in rural areas can be apprised of why the public may have misconceptions about rural crime and rural crime policy, and thus be better equipped to perform their job duties.